NEW from @hberkes.bsky.social Justin Hicks @publichealthwatch.bsky.social @npr.org @lpm.org Black lung rates for some working underground coal miners in Appalachia are the highest since 1978. 1 in 3 positive in @NIOSH testing. Silica dust is blamed publichealthwatch.org/2026/08/05/b...

New Study: Black Lung Disease Rate in Appalachia Is the Worst in 50 Years as Coal Miner Protections Stall - Public Health Watch

It's now as bad as it was in the 1970s, with thousands of miners sick and dying.

publichealthwatch.org

In exchange for losing the right to sue their employer, when a worker is injured or sickened on the job, the workers' comp system is supposed to make them whole. It is also supposed to prevent injuries. Insurance carrier profits are way up, but injured workers are getting screwed. @prospect.org

How America Let Its Workers’ Compensation System Fail - The American Prospect

If you’re injured on the job these days, you’re simply out of luck.

prospect.org

Trump’s move to drastically shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah was the latest episode in a long tug of war over presidential power and public lands. My latest for @kuer.org explores how we got here and what it might take to end the back-and-forth ⤵️ www.kuer.org/science-envi...

Trump’s Utah national monument cuts won’t stop the legal tango over public lands

“Until you get either some kind of congressional solution or a binding judicial opinion as to what the president's authority is, then we get the unfortunate result of having things bounce back and for...

kuer.org

My story on the dramatic cuts to Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears here in southern Utah ⤵️

NPR@npr.org · 3w ago

Flanked by Utah’s delegation, Gov. Spencer Cox and Utah Speaker Mike Schultz, President Trump again reduced the boundaries and protections of the two monuments. Conservationists and tribal leaders worry it could undo years of work to protect these lands.

From @davidcondos.bsky.social @kuer.org - Trump again shrinks the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah. Reporting from a reporter based in southern Utah.

NPR@npr.org · 3w ago

Flanked by Utah’s delegation, Gov. Spencer Cox and Utah Speaker Mike Schultz, President Trump again reduced the boundaries and protections of the two monuments. Conservationists and tribal leaders worry it could undo years of work to protect these lands.

Here are two @npr.org stories I produced on the health risks of using a gas stove and how the gas utility industry used tobacco-style tactics to sow doubt: www.npr.org/2021/10/07/1... www.npr.org/2023/10/17/1...

We need to talk about your gas stove, your health and climate change

Americans love their gas stoves, but they pollute homes and are connected to a supply system that leaks methane. That's part of a battle as more people face a decision about switching to electric.

npr.org

A Black teenager was killed at a BLM protest in Seattle in 2020. Why is his death still unsolved? And who should be held accountable? NPR’s Embedded podcast investigates. Listen: npr.org/CHOP

We Keep Us Safe: The Chase : Embedded

EPISODE 5: What really happened the night Antonio Mays Jr. was killed? Protesters claim he was attacking CHOP and they had to defend themselves. But new evidence from that night turns everything we thought we knew about the shooting upside down.Support journalism like this by signing up for NPR+ at plus.npr.org

n.pr

32 yrs ago today, 14 wildland firefighters were overrun by a windblown wildfire near Glenwood Springs, Colorado. At the time, the Storm King/South Canyon blaze was the deadliest in 50 years. Here's my @npr.org story about a firefighter who managed to survive: on.soundcloud.com/xxJ2qhPET5DE...

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill this week that, if made law, would increase black lung disability payments for coal miners and their families and tie the stipends to inflation rates moving forward. via @westvirginiawatch.com

Bill introduced in Congress to increase black lung benefit stipends for coal miners in WV, beyond

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill this week that, if made law, would increase black lung disability payments for coal miners and their families and tie the stipends to…

newsfromthestates.com

LPM News uncovered that voters from more than 1,800 households may have cast incorrect ballots due to an error by the Jefferson County Clerk's office. In some instances, this affected where they voted and which representatives they were able to vote for. www.lpm.org/news/ballots

Voters across Louisville may have gotten the wrong ballots – for years

LPM News uncovered that voters from more than 1,800 households may have cast incorrect ballots due to an error by the Jefferson County Clerk’s office. In some instances, this affected where they voted and which representatives they were able to vote for.<br/>

lpm.org

From @saigemiller.bsky.social @npr.org

NPR@npr.org · last mo.

In 2028, President Trump will not be on the ballot, leaving Republicans to decide the future of the party. Utah — which has a complicated relationship with the president — could be a starting point. n.pr/43RLnVS

If you listened to @npr.org's Up First this weekend, you heard a local Seattle story that's haunted me and my reporting partners for years. Grateful that Up First aired the first episode of We Keep Us Safe, our podcast series investigating the unsolved killing of Antonio Mays Jr.

How an anti-police violence protest ended in a teen’s death : Up First from NPR

In the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to be part of the racial justice movement. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, known as C...

npr.org

Attending @ire.org IRE26 this week? Sign up for Audio 1:1 coaching with some of the best reporters, editors and producers in audio investigative storytelling: www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CA8...

Audio 1:1 coaching sessions

Sign up for 30 minutes with an audio pro to use however you like: Bring tape for a critique, a pitch for workshopping or your questions about surviving and thriving in the audio journalism space. Part...

signupgenius.com

Join me at IRE26 on Thursday, June 18, for this stellar panel of award-winning audio investigative journalists who have created some unforgettable moments in their storytelling. This panel is part of a special Audio/Radio/Podcast track

The investigative non-profit newsroom I helped establish &serve now as board chair has an EDITOR POSITION OPEN in central Texas. @publichealthwatch.bsky.social has a great award-winning team of print/audio storytellers/editors, and partnerships with other newsrooms. www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/44...

NEW: Trump administration officials earlier this year killed a federal criminal investigation into the coal empire owned by Sen. Jim Justice, the Republican former governor of West Virginia and a close ally of the president’s. By @justinelliott.bsky.social @josh-kaplan.bsky.social

Trump Administration Killed Criminal Investigation of GOP Senator's Coal Companies

EPA and Justice Department officials were looking into potential criminal violations by the vast coal empire owned by Sen. Jim Justice. Then the Office of the Deputy Attorney General told them “pencils down.”

propublica.org

Sign up for the IRE26 conference mentorship program! If you'll be joining us in National Harbor next month and want to participate, please fill out this form: https://bit.ly/49XP4N8 The deadline to apply is Sunday, May 31 at 11:59 p.m. CT. You must be registered for IRE26 by June 1.

@ire.org 2026 June 18-21 in National Harbor MD features an Audio/Radio track for audio investigative journalists & the audio curious: 10 panels; 1 Master Class (making podcasts); 20+ investigative audio pros; an audio meetup; plus 1:1 coaching. 2026-ire-conference.sessionize.com/schedule/127...

2026 IRE CONFERENCE

Schedule

2026-ire-conference.sessionize.com

Local journalism matters. After KYUK, ProPublica and NPR documented a severe health and safety crisis inside Alaska schools, lawmakers approved $148 million for repairs. @emilyschwing.bsky.social

Alaska’s Deteriorating Schools Could Receive More Than $148 Million for Repairs. It’s a Fraction of What They Need.

Following reporting by KYUK, ProPublica and NPR, lawmakers tripled the funding the state would allocate toward school construction and maintenance. The budget increase would still only cover about 13%...

propublica.org

NEW: Alaska lawmakers have allocated more than $148M toward school construction and maintenance following reporting by KYUK, ProPublica and @npr.org that documented a severe health and safety crisis inside buildings used for public education.

Alaska’s Deteriorating Schools Could Receive More Than $148 Million for Repairs. It’s a Fraction of What They Need.

Following reporting by KYUK, ProPublica and NPR, lawmakers tripled the funding the state would allocate toward school construction and maintenance. The budget increase would still only cover about 13%...

propublica.org

From Aaliyah Callaway and @publichealthwatch.bsky.social. Texas vaccination rates drop. Kids are at risk: “We highly rely on other people for her safety. When other people are not focusing on public health, normal life becomes dangerous for her.” publichealthwatch.org/2026/05/28/a...

As Texas Vaccination Rates Fall, Vulnerable Children Face Growing Risk - Public Health Watch

From a West Texas measles outbreak to rising vaccine exemptions statewide, families of immunocompromised children depend on herd immunity, which is slowly eroding.

publichealthwatch.org

From visual verification and vertical video to podcast editing, source protection and AI in audio, the IRE26 Video + Audio Tracks are packed with sessions designed to level up your investigative storytelling. Schedule: https://bit.ly/3PgsnNg

This upcoming IRE Investigative Managers of Color Task Force Zoom conversation will feature Ron Nixon, who will discuss his journey from reporter to newsroom leader and share insights on navigating leadership as a senior editor and manager of color. Attend via Zoom: https://bit.ly/4ttoYZi

TV’s Mr. Wonderful accused two Utah women of being CCP agents. Their crime: opposing his super-sized data center.

Don't want a data center in your town? You might be a Chinese spy.

TV's Mr. Wonderful accused two Utah women of being CCP agents. Their crime: opposing his super-sized data center.

motherjones.com

@publichealthwatch.bsky.social @laist.com & Univision broke this story in 2022. Now, CA regulators say it’s time to work toward a ban on manufactured countertops in the state. 100’s of workers who manufactured the countertops are sick and dying from silicosis publichealthwatch.org/2026/05/21/c...

California Moves Closer to Banning Fabrication of Popular Countertops - Public Health Watch

Workers who cut, grind and polish artificial-stone slabs are at extreme risk of developing the deadly lung disease silicosis.

publichealthwatch.org

Tucked in a nondescript office park in Salt Lake City is the country's largest selection of braille books, plus a growing catalog of audiobooks. The Utah State Library for the Blind and Disabled has been a game-changer for one Utahn. www.kuer.org/arts-culture...

Utah’s Library for the Blind and Disabled leaves no reader or book behind

There’s a ton of braille, and patrons can borrow popular audiobooks or request specific ones be recorded. It’s not just about reading, but connection and training the ear.

kuer.org

Newsroom job cuts at NPR www.npr.org/2026/05/18/n...

NPR trims jobs in newsroom overhaul as it confronts era without public funding

NPR is offering buyouts to journalists as it overhauls its newsroom, with the threat of layoffs to follow. Two recent gifts totaling $113 million are primarily dedicated to NPR's tech infrastructure.

npr.org

Big newsroom job cuts at NPR www.npr.org/2026/05/18/n...

NPR trims jobs in newsroom overhaul as it confronts era without public funding

NPR is offering buyouts to journalists as it overhauls its newsroom, with the threat of layoffs to follow. Two recent gifts totaling $113 million are primarily dedicated to NPR's tech infrastructure.

npr.org

My first for The Hechinger Report: In Texas, high schools bet on a bright future for oil and gas careers under Trump It was an absolute joy working with @carolinepreston.bsky.social, managing editor. Thank you so much @drilledmedia.bsky.social & @texaspublicradio.bsky.social for republishing.

The Hechinger Report@hechingerreport.org · 3mo ago

The fossil fuel industry pumps millions into preparing high schoolers for jobs as lease operators, technicians and more. The president’s call to ‘drill, baby, drill’ has reinvigorated that work.

46 years ago today. My last NPR lookback at the catastrophic 1980 Mount St Helens eruption for the 40th anniversary. www.npr.org/2020/05/18/8...

'It Seemed Apocalyptic' 40 Years Ago When Mount St. Helens Erupted

Howard Berkes covered the 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens for NPR and has returned to the volcano for multiple stories over the years. He recalls the massive blast and its aftermath.

npr.org